Between June 10 and August 23, 1863, at least 103 men enlisted at Collierville in the 2nd West Tennessee Infantry (African Descent), later the 61st U.S. Colored Infantry: 51 in Company G and 52 in Company I. Most had come out of slavery by way of the camps the army kept along this railroad.
Their names were never lost. The muster rolls kept every one of them, and they are printed in Appendix XIII of the book. What Collierville has not done is put them where people can see them.
In October 2026 I proposed a Tennessee Historical Commission marker for them. The proposal went first to the Morton Museum of Collierville History, which has added the roster of the two companies to its archives, and then to the Town of Collierville, because the site proposed, the railroad platform behind the Visitor Center, is Town property.
Last updated: October 21, 2026
Proposal submitted to the Morton Museum of Collierville History and the Town of Collierville, October 2026. Awaiting the Town’s reply.
A letter or call to the Town of Collierville and to the Morton Museum of Collierville History saying that you support the marker carries weight. So does a word from any group that honors the soldiers of the Union, including the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
If a camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans can place a marker in Collierville, the men of Companies G and I deserve one too.